It is known to produce a thin layer from a given material by the thermally induced deposition from the gaseous phase, with or without the thermally induced reaction of a compound in the vapor state to supply the given material. The chemical reaction may be a simple thermal decomposition or a reduction or any other suitable reaction. Such methods, known as CVD methods, recently acquired significance in the direct manufacturing of thin layer metal patterns, such as electric conductor structures on substrates, such as integrated circuit chips, etc., wherein the onset of the chemical reaction and thereby the definition of the metal pattern is performed by a laser beam focused onto the surface of the substrate. In a known "Direct-writing"-Laser-CVD Method (I. G. Black et al, Appl. Phys. Lett. 50 (15), Apr. 13, 1987, pp. 1016-1018), the pattern is deposited by the reduction of tungsten hexafluoride with hydrogen, whereupon metallic tungsten and hydrofluoric acid are formed.
It is frequently desired that such thin layer metallic structures, manufactured by direct-writing laser CVD methods or by other means, be reinforced, that is, the thickness of the metallic structures (counted perpendicularly with respect to the surface of the substrate) be reinforced by additional material, which additional material may be the same material as has been used in the primary layer structure or some other material. A similar objective may also occur for non-metallic, electrically conductive structures.